Did you see the taxi race at Pocono? I notices a couple of pretty good "bumps" - one coming out of turn one an done out of turn 3. I figure they'd have to be fixed first. Pocono? Whenever - we'll be there!Originally Posted by Sweaty Teddy
Did you see the taxi race at Pocono? I notices a couple of pretty good "bumps" - one coming out of turn one an done out of turn 3. I figure they'd have to be fixed first. Pocono? Whenever - we'll be there!
We must have been reading different stuff. This is a place where a triple of Knob Creek would get described as a glass half full of some brown stuff.Mike..ive read stuff here for a long time before joining.
TF has a way of twisting even the most basic stuff into a lovefest.
Simona, Randy and all the rest. And if you say one thing, your lamblasted.
Yea, it's really awful when fans of the series try and stay positive. With a core fan base like that, how could it ever survive?I backed up what I said and got the same old line some people just like to use..leave then.
Its like nothing is wrong and people here have all the answers for everything. Yet when they are proven wrong , count on a snappy snippy comeback.
Im still waiting for Mr. thorman to have something to say. But I guess once the TF schtick has been used , thats all some people have.
I don't know when you came in, but it isn't slowly becoming a mess, it has been a major mess for a large number of years. This is just my opinion, but it is less of a mess than it was four years ago.The series is slowly becoming a mess and most here turn a blind eye to it.
I'm all ears.Want to talk?
Not exactly series ending stuff.What about the gaffe in pre race tech at Texas?
The economy is tough all over. Commies are notoriously hard to negotiate with. Randy shoulda booked eighteen races. Hindsight is 20-20. So it goes.What about 2 races being cancelled in one year?
I'll miss the IZOD girl. Maybe Randy can hire her as set decoration. Hopefully we can get some automotive product company to pick it up.What about Izod wanting out.
Not all owners, and the squawking boils down to be mostly about money. Randy's expertise is promotion. That is what we need more than anything. We need a showman to sell the series. But he inherited a seriously bad situation. I am not sure how anyone else could have done better. The biggest problem is our TV shows, but we are locked into long term deals that give us little control over our big event and the production of it stinks and there seems to be little we can do to improve it.What about the owners wanting bernard out?
As far as I can tell, car does not need quotes around it, and it is giving us good racing, better racing than what we had before, so I am not sure what your beef is, other than you seem to be on a mission to cast as much gloom and doom as possible.What about a body on a 'car' that was never tunnelled before it hit the track and how damn lucky they got it races well??
That is all snarky defeatism rates.Nope, snippy comebacks are all thats offered up.
I am not sure how much time you have spent here, but it is my recollection that there has been no shortage of doom-sayers, whatever state they may be from, or in.i was hoping someone from my home state would see whats what. But i guess that when the fact comes out that last nights ASA race at the Mile will out draw saturdays ICS race, then it'll be some excuse as to why.
It takes a while to build an audience. If the first race at The Mile isn't a full house, we'll have guys like you on the forum making "what a crappy race" posts, and demanding Randy & Michael be fired for getting us back at a venue everyone wants to be back at.
Personally, I don't believe it's over 'till it's over. We ain't dead yet, the racing has been great, and we have a much better crew manning the ship than we did a few years ago. I believe we are climbing out of the hole. Could things be better? You bet. I have made any number of posts suggesting improvements where I see better ways of doing things. I realize that isn't as constructive as shouting the end is near and denouncing all who disagree, but we all contribute according to our ability.
Racing: there is no substitute.
Yes indeed..I'm completely lost...A diversity of opinion is strange? I guess the whole Republican / Democrat thing has you really flummoxed
I want Pocono back but would not the season final be a little late in the year for Pocono ?
I think they've ruled out Pocono and that's probably why. The China date would work well for Pocono but that's just not enough time to properly promote the race if you have any chance of making it a success.
**** This Sport
Is there absolutely no track to go to on the same weekend? No matter where they go it will be a rush job. So what. Just take the hit, move on and keep the schedule intact. Spend the time and money to improve on next years schedule. If the racing keeps getting better with each race as it looks like it might, by Aug. 18th the momentum could be bigger than we think. Yes attendance probably won't be real great but more people might tune in to watch it on TV.
Told my kids to sprinkle my ashes where the the 1st turn tree used to be. They said I'm weird.
"Their average was 225? I've never been 225 mph in my life " Johnson said.
Road America with ALMS is on the same weekend.
It's a four-mile long road course that may very well have poor weather in the fall.
Atlanta.
Not gonna happen.
"The IRL's future should be good, but it can't be the grass-roots series Tony George envisioned. That was a wet dream." - Bobby Unser
It's Wisconsin, it could have poor weather any time. 4 inches of rain, with hail, 100 MPH gusts, and a few tornadoes makes for an exciting weekend.It's a four-mile long road course that may very well have poor weather in the fall.
I like it, weeds out the sissies.
Outside of TX, I think Laguna Seca is the best bet. I would prefer they go to LS and start a tradition of yearly racing there again. Wonderful track that would be a blast to see these cars on.
In my opinion, the best choice is to run in a place where IndyCar has already experience, for a number of reasons (first of all, for the security parameters)...so, I hope to see Kentucky or Chicagoland, or at least a second race in Texas...
Well Vag, you seem pretty clueless. I have been a proponent of racing at R/A for a LONG time. Check a history of my posts and you'll see that it is listed as one of my preferred road courses. I've been there both as a spectator and participant and beleive that it would add a lot to the schedule. While I PREFER oval racing, I think there are several road courses that are worthy of IICS racing. R/A; Watkins; VIR; Barber; Laguna; are my personal favorites. What I don't want to see happen is IndyCar being dominated by twisting circuits, especially street parades and their inherrent problems. Problems such as:
And other issues that have come up throughout the years at temporary circuits.
- Compromised racing surface
- Marginal racing lanes
- Tracks tearing up
- Lack of Ingress/Egress
- Available Facilities for fans like restrooms, concessions, comfortable seating
- Race Cancellations
I hope that China and Baltimore have gotten Randy's attention on temporary circuits.
1 or 2 temporary circuits are useful and important to a diverse series, but anything more than a couple of well done promotions are dangerous to the continued viability of this sport. It is better to have a 12 - 14 race schedule at fixed road course and oval venues and work to attract fans and sponsors to attend them than to start setting up street circuses and the liabilities associated with travelling down that promotional alley.
IMHO of course
...Always follow the money
Whatever track takes the place of the street event in China will be better than going there. We as Indycar fans should be celebrating NOT making that trip.
"You just don't know what Indy Means" Al Unser Jr.
According to Jalopnik, the Chinese would rather have a beer festival. I guess that means Indycar fans won't be buying Tsingtao Beer anytime soon.
flummoxed? Disgusted is more like it. They can't agree on the color of the sky.A diversity of opinion is strange? I guess the whole Republican / Democrat thing has you really flummoxed
While I wanted to see Pocono on that weekend in August I understand the issues with the timing and guess it makes sense. A good strong crowd for the second Texas race would prove the point. I'm still hoping to see Pocono on the 2013 schedule.
Aren't we seeing the lessons learned by the Series as far as last minute venues and attendance? Wasn't one of the issues with Milwaukee last year its relative last minute addition (along with a less-than-motivated promoter)?
I love Mazda Raceway, but I wonder about the realities of adding on to an existing event and I'm dubious about the ability to add a stand alone event there.
The Unofficial, Self-Appointed Gloom & Doom Police...
back track much? You said you objected to Road America solely because Dario wants to return to Road America, as I feel comfortable in saying the overwhelming majority of drivers, team owners and racing fans do as well What you really mean is you object because it's not an oval to balance out the schedule.
It's the one of if not the best roadcourse in North America and indycars should be there if they are going to race anywhere and everyone knows they should have been on the joint weekend with ALMS from the get go.
None of the problems you cite have anything to do with RA. It comes down to economics and unsupportable sanctioning fees, just like the long list of oval venues ICS has failed at.
I have to chuckle every time someone mentions little 1/2, 5/8, even some 3/4 mile ovals as current options for Indycars. These are 220+ mph cars. Those tracks are no more appropriate for Indycars than a street course through a walmart parking lot. If people want to watch roadsters on shorttracks, why the #ell are they watching Indycars? That's not what indycars are now, and honestly, it hasn't been what INDY cars have been since the lotus showed up in 63. Indy has had ZERO connection to that style of racing for more than 30 years and very little for 10-20 before that.
While I'm not excited about seeing a second race at Texas, I'd be stoked to see Road America, Pocono and a return to Loudon( they were given a lousy deal) on next year's schedule. There needs to be a race every week in August to accomodate the northern tracks.
^This. Korea, China.....not feeling it now, never felt it before. F1 basically can't draw flies to Shanghai, A1GP drew more rats than spectators. Korea has been no different. Leave Korea and China to Formula Nippon.
One would hope...
Again though, loss of such a large sanction fee is not good for the series.
They kind of don't have a choice here, in terms of it being a rush job. I would not go to Laguna Seca. Even these racy DW12's will have trouble passing there. Also, what's the chance they go back next year? I'm beginning to think Kentucky Speedway is the best choice, though the crowd will be lousy. Problem is I don't think the track is interested.
Wanker!
Agreed, I saw the bird baths too on the cabs.......but because the cabs ran they should be easily identified by the speedway for repair........hopefully it's still under warantee.
Katharine's Legge is in the gravel!--Jenks
__________________________________________________ ____________________
12-7-1941 Never, Never Forget 9-11-2001
With that aero package, Texas II would be one HELL of a season finale, and ending the season with Fontana then Texas should help maximize the few ovals they have on the schedule this year.
Hey, if Randy wants a shot at promoting a race in Texas, but Eddie (justifiably) doesn't want to let someone else promote the race, here's a chance to make them both happy. Let Randy promote a finale at Texas. He and Eddie bet $50K on which one gets a better result (pick a metric on which they can both agree), with the winner picking the charity in the DFW area that gets the $50K.
It may work as a paint stripper.....but it's been years.
Since you've had a Tsingtao or used it as a paint stripper? It must be said they're better than any of the popular light beers which are like making love in a canoe.It may work as a paint stripper.....but it's been years.
Hope they at least got a large, non-refundable, deposit.
Faster,faster,faster,faster, faster.........oh &%@*, too fast.
From what I've read, they got $0 so far.
Willo
"If I believed in fairy tales, I never would have dropped out of Kindergarden"
To understand what happened in China you have to realize that it is a corrupt dictatorship run by corrupt officials. You can bet this mayor and his stooges collect bribes in one form or another from each of the participants in the beer festival, and they were likely squawking that they paid to be the big deal in the city that weekend and some foreigners were going to hold a race which would distract people from the important business of getting new customers. This is why the date change request.
My own two cents worth... If we are going to do foreign trips, why not go places where they are crazy for racing and can't get enough? South America, which provides about half our drivers and a number of sponsors seems like such a better fit with our product than China. And the road trips need to be profitable for the series and teams, or we don't go.
I also wonder about the viability of sanction fees. That might work for F1 which has people standing in line hoping to get a race. I suggest we seriously examine the concept of splitting the gate with the track owner or promoter. Finances are the heart of all our troubles. That implies that the way we do it now isn't working. Instead of continuing to try a model that hasn't worked for CART, the IRL, or Indycar, perhaps we need a new model for financing the series. Ditch prize money. Take our cut of the gate, and as soon as the check clears the bank, the series takes 1/3 of the money and writes checks to the teams paying an equal amount for each car that participated in that race. The rest is used to run the series and what is leftover is paid out at year's end according to points earned. This gives the teams a steady flow of income, rewards success, makes us a partner in success with the promoter, and gives everyone a stake in promoting the series and each individual race because each ticket sold is money in your pocket. We still could, with that model, require deposits from promoters of new or iffy races, and count the deposit towards our share of the gate.
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